Page 74 - The importance of conscience in the Qur'an

72 The Importance of Conscience in the Qur'an

the Last Day, the Angels, the Book and the
Prophets, and who, despite their love for it,
give away their wealth to their relatives and to
orphans and the very poor, and to travellers
and beggars and to set slaves free, and who
establish regular prayers and pay regular
charity; those who honour their contracts
when they make them, and are steadfast in
poverty and illness and in battle. Those are
the people who are true. They are the people
who have taqwa. (Surat al-Baqara: 177)
Instead of comparing themselves to the prophets or the
real 'good people' depicted above, and trying to improve them-
selves, many people compare themselves to the evil oppressors
throughout history, saying: 'I am not as bad as them, so I do not
deserve the same penalty.' The cause of this lies in their
ignorance – in their not knowing Allah and the hereafter. Allah
has created hell in degrees. Therefore, everyone will be repaid
in accordance with what he or she did. It is also a fact that even
the highest storey of hell is a source of unbearable torment,
which will continue for eternity.
Therefore, those who say 'nothing will come of this' or 'it's
what's in my heart and not what I do that matters' should think
again about hell, reconsider their decisions and listen to what
their conscience tells them.

'The Qur'an does not mention it.'
There is a serious misconception prevalent among people
to the effect that if a certain act is not specifically mentioned in
the Qur'an, then it is all right to perform or neglect it at will.
However, not performing something which is considered as